E108 - Victory in Europe

Bletchley Park

History

4.8 • 177 Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2020

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 2020

After more than 5 and a half years of fighting, 75 Years ago today the war in Europe officially finally came to an end.

To commemorate the day we present this special It Happened Here episode. Using archive recordings and interviews with our Veterans from both our official Oral History Project and nearly 8 years of podcasts, we hope to take you back to the heady days of early May 1945.

20 of our Veterans will share their memories, both happy and sometimes poignant, of what VE Day and beyond meant to them. Featured in order of appearance are:

Betty Flavell
Peggy Huntingdon
Ron Unwin
Joyce Spurr
Tim Edwards
Pamela Billinton
Lady Marion Body
Elizabeth Ruth Hughes
Mary Sherrard
Joyce Bogoni
Betty Lawrie
Eileen Younghusband
Helene Aldwinckle
Sheila Willson
Walter 'Joe' Wright
Margaret Thomas
Jane Fawcett
Elizabeth Marshall
Stanley Clegg
Marigold Freeman-Attwood

We would like to take this opportunity to thank not just the Veterans of Bletchley Park and its Outstations, but all Veterans, for their service.

Very special thanks go to Mr Ben Thomson for voicing our archival documents.

Image: WAAFs in Trafalgar Square. With grateful thanks to Mrs Margaret Rowland.

#BPark, #WW2, #BletchleyPark, #VEDay75

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Bletchley Park.
0:22.8	It happened here.
0:30.6	While much of the Allied world is already celebrating VE Day,
0:35.7	the official announcement that the war in Europe has ended will not be made until tomorrow.
0:39.6	Earlier CBS correspondent, Edward Murrow in in London said that President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill
0:42.4	were ready to announce the official news of the German surrender
0:45.5	at 9 a.m. today, but he said that they were delayed because
0:49.4	Premier Stalin scheduled to speak at the same time was not ready.
0:54.4	The first associated press flash from Rance in France, saying that Germany had surrendered,
1:00.2	was followed two hours later by a broadcast by ABC, the American broadcasting station in Europe.
1:06.1	Supreme Headquarters, in the meantime, had issued a statement not denying the truth of the AP flash, but saying that no official announcement had been authorized.
1:14.6	The This is the BBC Home Service.
1:30.3	This is the BBC Home Service.
1:47.0	We're interrupting programs to make the following announcement.
1:51.0	It is understood that in accordance with arrangements between the three great powers,
1:57.0	an official announcement will be broadcast by the Prime Minister at 3 o'clock tomorrow, Tuesday afternoon, the 8th of May.
2:04.6	In view of this fact, tomorrow Tuesday will be treated as victory in Europe day,
2:10.6	and will be regarded as a holiday. The day following, Wednesday the 9th of May will also be a holiday.
2:19.3	His Majesty the King will broadcast to the peoples of the British Empire and Commonwealth
2:24.3	tomorrow Tuesday at 9pm British double summertime.
2:29.3	Bletchley Station, Bletchley Station.
2:37.0	Bletchley Station.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bletchley Park, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Bletchley Park and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.